


How Do I Save You

by ChasetheSun2



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternian Empire, Alternian Politics, Drone Season 2018, Graphic Description of Corpses, Multi, Murder, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Quadrant Vacillation, Violence, mixed quadrants, non-sburb AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 19:45:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15589353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChasetheSun2/pseuds/ChasetheSun2
Summary: Feferi's fall is not at all marked by a beforehand rise. It's sharp, it's sudden, and it drags her mates down with her. It's all they can do to hold on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twofoldAxiom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twofoldAxiom/gifts).



> DRONE SEASON!  
> This prompt excited me so much, you have no idea. I couldn't stop writing. My prompt was, thanks to the lovely [Chess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twofoldAxiom/pseuds/twofoldAxiom):
> 
> _"I leave the rating and details on this one up to your discretion, dear filler, but basically I want to see a Feferi Peixes whose been (or is about to be) walking the steps her ancestor left before her, and Karkat and/or Eridan, alive alongside her through it all, trying to do what's best for the Empire._
> 
> _Can be tragic or sexy, but I definitely want to see Feferi at some point realize that they're doing this not for the Empire, but to save her soul._

The first thing that popped into Karkat's mind as he stepped in front of the new Empress was that she'd gotten much taller since he'd vanished for his adult molt.

Still soaked in the blood of her ancestor, Feferi Peixes wore a shell-shocked, blank expression that Karkat as a threshecutioner recognized instantly. It was the face of someone who had never killed before, suddenly forced to on threat of death. It was the wide-eyed, panting, thousand-yard gaze of someone who would never forget the splatter and crunch, the death wail the old hag had let out as the violent rage died from her eyes. The final death throes. The clutch of her trident was tenuous at best, the gore-slick weapon in her hand trembling like a giant tuning fork. It was still buried in the Condesce's chest. She pulled it out with a sickening squelch that made even cull-experienced Karkat feel a rolling in his gut. 

The body twitched, and Feferi turned white. In front of the drones, in front of the cameras that had captured her victory -  _ right on Karkat's uniform boots -  _ she vomited. 

It was by sheer luck that Karkat didn't do the same. He swallowed down the burning bile in his throat and wrapped his arms around her before she could sink into the puddle of sick, catching her just as her knees buckled. Her face buried into his chest. This was blasphemy. No Empress had ever shown weakness before, never so publicly. Never on record. Yet here she was, newly anointed with the last drips of the Condesce's life still clinging to her skin, sobbing brokenheartedly into the shoulder of an outcast. The candied threshecutioner. The Second Signless. 

"It's okay," He whispered. His breaths were shaky; despite her thin frame she was heavy. He'd never carried such weight before. When it hit him that it must be pure muscle a chill went down his spine that had nothing to do with her body temperature. "Shhh, Fef. It's okay. I've got you. You won. You're safe."

Her leg was broken. He could tell by the way she favored her weight, shifting to hold it all on her left side so her right bore nothing. A glance down; Karkat hissed in sympathetic pain as he saw the bone protruding. Not all the blood on her was the Empress' after all, it seemed. Highblood legs were like concrete pillars, he knew this from fact. It scared him then, when he remembered how the Empress had snapped it like a twig. 

"I didn't want this," Her voice was a broken rasp. It sounded like a chainsaw on hardwood and the sound grated on Karkat's ears. Still, he shushed her, stroking her hair and clutching her tightly. Her claws scraped his shoulders, dug in and made him bleed but he had long stopped caring about who saw his blood. He'd long since proven that even someone from his lineage could be bloodthirsty and loyal as any highblood. He had to be, if he was to survive. And now she had to be too. 

His pusher broke for her, crushed under the sudden swell of pity. Feferi wasn't weak, not by any means. Winning against her ancestor had proven that. But she was gentle, and for that, Karkat both pitied and adored her in equal amounts. Gentle was not a trait a troll could have, and survive. But somehow, Feferi did it. Not only did she survive - she thrived. 

Karkat feared her for it. And now the whole Empire did too. 

The noise around him had dulled as he focused solely on her. But now that his mind had time to drift, he heard...nothing. A shocked silence had befallen all the trolls who'd come to watch the newest Heiress die. He'd heard the whispers as the battle raged on, the whole time gripping his sickles and wishing, praying for an excuse to slash into flesh.  _ She's so skinny. She'll never win. Look at her, she's crying. What a wriggler. Can't even get into a fight. What kind of weak-ass brood did she come from? Who even let her out of the brooding caves? She should have been squished at birth. _

No one was commenting now. Karkat looked up from between Feferi's horns, over her mane of hair and her tiara. He glared, bright red eyes daring anyone to say something or make a move. No one did. 

He closed his eyes, tucking his face back between her horns and planting a kiss in her hair. Where it came from, he didn't know, but the shuddering breath Feferi took and the ever-tightening death grip on his arms told him it was appreciated. "Deep breaths, Feferi," He said, so quietly that even with the extra-sensitive microphones in the camera drones, only she could hear. "You made it. You're okay. Take a deep breath."

She nodded. Karkat rubbed her back, holding her close. Slowly he shifted them so he had an arm wrapped around her waist, her arm around his shoulder, supporting her as he walked her out of the makeshift arena. 

The corpse of the dead Empress lay where it had been dropped. There was no fanfare. No announcements. Just a tired, sobbing troll barely out of her first molt, limping on the arm of a mutant as he carried her back home. 

\--

Once - and only once - Karkat had been told that mutants were cullable on sight and not permitted into the palace, no matter what military rank they held. All it took was a flash of Feferi's still-bloody trident and an angry, desperate screech in her hoarse voice to get the guards to back the fuck off. Even while still being held up to avoid stepping on her broken leg, she terrified the bluebloods that were now legally in her hire. 

If Karkat were to be honest with himself, if that trident were turned on him right now, he'd probably piss himself. He was secretly glad it wasn't.

Feferi was immediately put onto a wheeled seating device and rolled into the palace's medical bay. Because of course a place like this had a damned medical bay. Karkat was sure that if he looked hard enough he'd find - nevermind. There was literally a cafe ten feet from the entrance, complete with a little outdoor seating area. Sometimes he both loathed and adored how gaudy the Empress was.  _ Former _ Empress, he corrected himself internally. The new Empress was currently at at his side, clutching his hand for dear life and breaking the skin on his digit pads. 

A loud, arrogant voice interrupted Karkat's thoughts about the bandages he'd probably have to self-administer later. "Get outta the way!" The person yowled in a nasally tone. Karkat's ears pinned back and his head swiveled, still high on adrenaline from having only watched the fight and full of some instinct to protect the injured Heire--Empress.  "I said MOV-VE!"

Oh. He knew that wavering stutter anywhere. Eridan Ampora stormed through the crowd of guards currently trying and failing to block him off, bashing with elbows and the butt of his gun alike. There was a fierce look on his royal face, pulling the normally beautiful features into something serpentine and not entirely trollish. Just like Feferi, here was another one who sent shivers down Karkat's spine with the right look or word. One who had learned by watching never to fuck with seadwellers had somehow managed to tumble right into the laps of the top two within an hour of each other - ha! Fate was strange. 

Eridan, like Feferi, had grown far more than Karkat had anticipated. No longer the skinny, fragile boy that he'd met once upon a pink moon so many sweeps ago, Eridan had grown into something frightening and lethal. He bore the armor of his descendant, but as far as Karkat could remember from illustrations and history texts, filled it out in a completely different way. His broad shoulders no longer required the spined cape to accentuate the threat of his form, the rippling muscle under his skin doing a fine job of that on its own. His face had...strengthened, somehow, all sharp angles and high cheekbones. One horn was splintered as if he'd been struck by lightning, charred and cracked along the laceration. Powerful thighs--

Karkat had to pull his eyes away from Eridan's physique as he realized the nearly eight-foot troll was stalking right towards his six and a half foot self. Going red in the face, Karkat's brain helpfully supplied three options; shit himself, protect himself, and protect Feferi. 

Of course - he chose the third. With a snarl that matched the feral noise ripping itself from Eridan's throat, he pulled out his sickles and stepped in front of Feferi. His hand wavered only slightly as he put the sickle to Eridan's throat, feeling the butt of the violet's rifle against his forehead. 

"Do it, motherfucker." He hissed. Gone was the crackly pre-pupescent voice, replaced by a low rumbling tone that resonated from somewhere in his chest.

Both of them ignored Feferi's anguished, slightly irritated cries for both of them to stop. Karkat watched Eridan's eyes skim over his figure; taking in the crescent-moon scar under one eye, the slashed lip, the thrice-broken nose. One of those times, he remembered, had been Eridan himself. He saw Eridan take into account the way he'd jumped in front of Feferi, protective and growling, weapons drawn. Slowly he backed away, his lips a taut line over his teeth and a grim nod signalling Karkat could back off, too. Karkat took a deep breath and lowered his sickles, hooking them back on his belt. Captchalogues were for suckers who weren't facing death at every turn.

"You saw the news feed." Eridan stated as Karkat let his breath out through his nose. 

"I was  _ there.  _ Why the fuck do you think I'm covered in fuchsia and carrying Feferi to the medical ward, do you think I caught a scuttlebuggy here just to be a medical escort?" All the training in the world couldn't rid Karkat Vantas of his mouth. "Better yet, where were you? You're her personal guard!"

Eridan's brow furrowed and his operculum rattled threateningly at the suggestion. "I've been on a damned  _ ship  _ makin good use of myself as the newly-appointed Orphaner, V-Vantas." There came the stutter again. At least it was only on stressed words, now. "Sorry we can't all have so much free time between missions that we get to hang around an watch the show live. Besides, there were all these guards in the way--" 

Karkat hissed - a true to life, animalistic noise that for a moment made Eridan cringe. "Fuck you, Ampora. Hold off on stroking your entitled bulge for ten seconds and actually put yourself to use on land for once."

Eridan's fins turned a pale glimmering violet and he gritted his teeth so hard Karkat swore he heard something in the other's jaw crack. From behind the two of them Karkat could hear a low rattling, like the clicking of seadweller fin spines as they pressed together in a sort of warning. Both of them turned to look at Feferi, who was currently glaring, teary-eyed and  _ very mad.  _

"If you don't mind," She said sweetly, sounding like she was trying not to cry, or scream, or both. "I'm still sitting in this gods-damned chair, waiting to be taken to the medical bay? So if you two could STOP FLIRTING FOR FIVE DAMNED SECONDS?!"

Her voice rose and a frightening sort of roar echoed behind her words like another voice from deep in her chest. On instinct both boys flinched. With muttered apologies Eridan took the handles of the wheelchair, pushing her as gently as possible. Karkat walked by her side, trying to ignore the dagger glares being thrown his way. It was awkwardly silent, though, between the three of them, and Karkat found himself clearing his throat. His ears were still tinged red from Feferi's accusation and he didn't have to turn around to know that Eridan's freckles were glowing wildly against his stone-grey skin. 

_ He looks like he's been chiseled out of marble, _ Karkat's not-so-helpful brain offered up. Well, that didn't help at all. He tried speaking. 

"You, uh....You don't wear your glasses anymore." He mumbled. There was a tense moment of silence where he prayed Eridan  wouldn't leave him hanging and looking like an awkward fool. 

Thankfully, he didn't. "Yeah." He said, his voice just as subdued as Karkat's. Both of them shared a very sudden chastised barkbeast feeling after Feferi had yelled at them - and in public, no less, in front of the guards, the palace staff, and the camera drones still floating. Shit. Karkat suddenly became hyperaware of those following them and had a sudden urge to throw his sickles at them. Meanwhile, Eridan was still talking. "...Chucked the last broken pair overboard when a sky shark fuckin wrecked em. I switched out for contacts. A lot easier to use."

"Why don't you just troll up and get laser surgery?" Karkat couldn't stop the words from slipping out of his mouth as they crossed the threshold into the medical bay. Thankfully the drones backed off then. Fucking things. He'd been scared of them his whole life but now they were just being a nuisance. Behind him, Eridan scoffed, helping Feferi out of her chair and onto a cot. Gingerly, Karkat lifted her legs, ears pinning back and chittering out a quiet apology. 

"I got better things to spend my wealth on than some fuckin eye surgery that ain't even promised to work." Eridan said imperiously, scowling. Karkat saw right through it, though, the way Eridan's fins twitched and lowered, their eyes not quite meeting. He raised a brow.

"You're scared."

"Am not!" Eridan had the decency at least to look scandalized.

Jesus christ. Fucking wriggler."

"Will you two stop for just one minute?"

Feferi, her leg already numbed and the medical drones going to work on setting her leg, glared up at them from the cot with her arms folded and her lips pursed. "Honestly," She said, sounding more exasperated than angry now. "Every time you two get together you fight like barkbeasts and purrbeasts for a good hour, then you pail, and suddenly everything's lovey-dovey. Can you skip the annoying bulge contests and get right to the cuddling already? It's getting tiring mediating between you two. I mean, look at me! I just killed someone and broke my fucking leg, and you two are STILL going at it like horny pupa!"

Karkat felt a wash of shame come over him. From the looks of it, Eridan felt the same way. "Sorry, Fef." Karkat mumbled, eyes cast downward both so he wouldn't have to look at her upset expression and so he wouldn't have to see the open surgery currently being performed on her leg. Just because he was a bounty hunter for a living didn't mean that he enjoyed seeing gore for the fun of it. 

"Yeah. Sorry." It took a lot to get Eridan to calm the fuck down, but it seemed like Feferi had put him in his spot. It was just like old times, Karkat thought. Only the three of them were older, wiser, and well - in the cases of Eridan and Feferi, much more attractive. 

Karkat sat down in the chair beside her cot and reached out, taking her hand. On the other side Eridan did the same, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it gently. Feferi sighed at them both, shaking her head and laying back. Under the harsh lighting, Feferi's soft features looked worn and tired. Once again he was viscerally reminded that this wasn't a triumphant, glorious creature who'd taken the throne by force. This was a troll just like him, who had been attacked and defended herself. As a reward - or maybe a consequence - she'd been given an entire Empire. 

Karkat wasn't even sure if she knew what to do with it. 

There would be people now seeking to manipulate her, that much he knew. He'd been around the outer political scene and taken out enough corrupt congresstrolls and council members that he had a good idea of how things really went behind the curtains. None of it was pretty. None of it was what he wanted Feferi to see. 

Looking up at Eridan he could tell that the seadweller had different things on his mind. When their eyes met over Feferi's cot, Eridan seemed to know right away what he was thinking. His lips tightened into a thin line and Eridan's expression went grim. His fins twitched, then lowered, and he glanced down at Feferi. She gave a quiet chirp as he reached down, stroking her hair out of her face. Karkat squeezed her hand softly. 

"Is it almost done?" She asked, thinking they were worried over her leg. "It's just a broken leg, I'll be fine. She didn't even stab me." 

Karkat decided that now was not the time to bring up the political side of things. Instead he just nodded, glad when Eridan seemed to have the same thought. "Yeah." He said, stroking a thumb across the back of her hand. "Yeah, the drones seem pretty much finished casting."

"Good." She looked relieved. "I just want to go home and take a bath."

Eridan stiffened at this, looking awkwardly to the side. "You, uh." He mumbled. "You are home. Technically."

Feferi went quiet. It hadn't hit her until just that moment, but Eridan was right. She'd killed the Empress, inherited everything the old crone had owned - which included the palace. A dark look crossed over her face and not for the first time Karkat felt a cold chill run through his veins at the absolute ferocity in her expression. 

"I want it torn down." She said sharply. Eridan's eyes went wide. 

"Hey, I know you don't like her an' all, but maybe we can save the snap decisions for when you're not shellshocked?" He said, trying to ease her down from the rapid mood swing. She wasn't having it though. The look she threw Eridan's way made Karkat go pale. Even Eridan withered, fins dropping submissively as he cringed away from her. 

"I. Want. It. Torn. Down." She said, and every one of her needle-thin teeth showed in the cruel smile she flashed Eridan's way. "I want this whole palace ripped to shreds and everything she owned burned. Do you understand me?"

Eridan swallowed. "Y-yes, ma'am." He mumbled. Feferi glared in Karkat's direction and he put his hands up in surrender. He wasn't about to fight with her when she was like this. An approving nod was sent his way and he sighed in relief. Bullet dodged. 

"Good." Feferi laid herself back down on the cot. "I'm going to sleep. When I wake up I want to hear that the construction drones are on their way and that there's already a plan to rebuild the palace with something less big and....gaudy."

Neither Eridan nor Karkat were willing to argue with her. They both nodded, glancing at each other over her now sleeping form. 

_ Oh boy. _

_ \-- _

"Ladies and gentletrolls, please rise for the new Empress, Her Imperial Radiance!" 

Feferi took a deep breath. Her hands shook. The crown on her head scraped her horns and felt too heavy against her temples. The gown she wore was too light. Everything about this felt wrong. Her stomach tied in knots; she didn't want it. She didn't want any of this. Nevertheless she stepped out onto the balcony and waved as the doors opened, a fake smile on her face. The joyful screams of the crowd sounded like screams of horror to her ears and all she wanted to do was clap her hands over her fins and run away.

She tried to ignore the awestruck looks on the two trolls at either side of her.

_ Can't you see this is all wrong? _

_ \-- _

Feferi slept a lot the first few days. True to their forced promise Eridan and Kankri made sure that her first royal order was taken care of as fast as possible. They argued only for an hour about where she would stay while the palace was being destroyed, but in the end it was Karkat who won with a simple point; Eridan was still duty-bound to his ship and the horrorterror lusus still living in the waters below. Reluctantly Eridan gritted his teeth and accepted the truth, but not without sending a few choice insults Karkar's way. 

Thus, Feferi ended up sleeping in his coon to recover and he endured the normal daymares. He wasn't about to complain, not when she needed the rest and he was used to dealing with daymares anyway. Though his couch was a wee bit too small for him to sleep on anymore since he'd sprouted up last sweep, he found that if he sunk his head down onto the cushions and bent his knees over the opposite arm, it was just fine. He could easily pass a few days like this. 

Feferi demanded to be there for the destruction of the hive. Eridan whinged the whole way there that it wouldn't really be that big of a deal, they were just tearing down an old palace, that was something almost every Empress  _ ever _ had done - 

But when they got there, all three of them were surprised. 

A huge crowd of people had shown up to watch the Condesce's old home be destroyed. Mostly lowbloods, the ones that she'd trodden on the most, but Karkat was amazed to find that there were almost as many clowns there as there were rusts. Even mutants like him had come out of hiding to see this. All in all there had to be well over a thousand trolls there, and from the looks of some of them, they'd traveled a long way to get here and see this. 

"Holy  _ shit _ ." Eridan breathed.

"Huh," Karkat mumbled. "Guess it's kind of a big deal after all."

Feferi said nothing, but seemed pleased. The drones began their work, starting from the bottom to get the building to collapse quicker. The supports were quick to go, and soon enough, the entire building was crumbling to the ground. The crowd hid their faces from the sudden rush of hot air and debris, and for several long moments, the chattering they'd been surrounded by stopped. Silence filled the throng. 

Then there was one loud, hollering whoop of glee from a pretty-looking off-spectrum near the front of the crowd. The rest of them joined in, and soon, there was a frantically cheering mob of trolls. All yelling, clapping, celebrating. Someone started up a rousing chorus of  _ Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead! _

Karkat had to admit that it didn't really feel...real. Not even when he'd stood over the Empress' corpse. It didn't feel real until now, when every trace of her had been wiped off the face of the planet with just a few well-placed, angry commands from Feferi.

Speaking of the New Empress, she stood at the front of the gate, celebrating with the rest of the crowd. The smile on her face showed those spiny teeth again, fins flared now in victory. This was the first time she'd looked to Karkat like the frightening victorious warrior she'd proven herself to be in battle. She danced with the lowbloods, who picked her up, held her on their shoulders. Their Empress. Their savior. No guards tried to stop them. This what what she wanted and anyone who tried to get in her way be damned. 

Eridan cast Karkat a strange look as the rest of the trolls in the crowd celebrated. Strange because, for a moment, Karkat couldn't reads it - and he'd become very good at reading faces in the last few sweeps. 

"So that's it, huh," He said, in what was supposed to be a sullen mumble but because of the noise around them, was more like a sullen yell. Karkat shrugged.

"That's it." He said. "Now Fef's palace gets built to her specs and things settle down enough for her to--"

"That's not what I mean."

Eridan didn't usually cut him off. Karkat blinked, surprised, and his brow furrowed. He cast another look over Eridan's face now - the thin, taut line of his lips, the clench and tic of his square jaw. Fins set low and pinned back, like he was under attack and feeling threatened. Karkat looked around them at the throng of lowbloods celebrating, the clowns  now singing and chanting while the mutants and Feferi danced. Suddenly he understood. 

"Eridan, you're literally standing next to a mutant you've been best friends with your whole life." He said, unable to help a bit of the sharpness in his tone. "Get over yourself."

Eridan cast him a hard, almost loathing look. "You're different." He said. "You made something of yourself."

Karkat had to resist the urge to slap him. Instead, he took a deep breath and walked away, leaving Eridan to vanish behind him in the thick of the mob. 

\--

There was a bonfire that night at the beach.

Not so much a bonfire as it was  _ multiple  _ bonfires. Everything the Condesce had ever owned, from furniture to elegant ball gowns was being tossed into massive, roaring fire pits. Some of them were being used as makeshift grills for everything from steaks to marshmallows. The others were just supplying heat to the chilly night air. There was more singing and dancing; many of the trolls that had come to watch the Empress' hive be destroyed had come to the party bearing food and musical instruments and alcohol specifically to turn the garbage-burning into a party. 

Feferi had dressed up in something shimmery and sheer and altogether gorgeous. At some parts of her body it fit like cloth made of air, running over her curves and in others it flowed away from her body as if it were made of water. Her hair was wound with sea-flowers and twine, braided into a sort of crown around her head and running down her back in sleek, wet-looking curly waves. Neither Eridan nor Karkat could take their eyes off of her, but Eridan couldn't take his eyes off of Karkat, either. 

Since they'd grown up Karkat had become more and more outrageous with his presentation of his blood colour. From hiding it under a guise of grey to small, thin stripes of red, to what he wore now; a tight, sharp-looking (literally) jacket trimmed tight around his shoulders and cut to have barely any back at all. His shoulder blades and the muscular slope of his actual shoulders was out on display, as was his scarred chest. The sleeves of the jacket were cut wide, almost down to the bottom hem of the jacket itself, brazenly showing off bright red underdeveloped gills and grubscars. His torso was wrapped with some sort of red cloth that tucked into sleek, tight black pants. 

The whole outfit seemed to be made to show off every sharp, muscular curve of his body. Much like Feferi's was make to make her look delicate and silken, like the sea embodied, he was made to look like what he was; a weapon. He caught Eridan staring - seeing as they were standing next to one another - and his cheeks flushed. He instinctively covered his chest by folding his arms. 

"Feferi picked it out for me." He mumbled as a sort of excuse. His reply seemed a little colder than it would normally be; Eridan suspected it was because of earlier. "Stop staring. I know it looks fucking weird. I haven't worn pants up to my goddamn nipples since I was six."

"No, I -" Eridan coughed. "It looks good. Not the kinda thing I expected you to wear, You usually cover up a lot more."

Karkat snorted. "Yeah. I'd say I'm freezing but the fires are doing a pretty good job of keeping me warm."

Eridan had to agree. Even though it was nearing the autumnal equinox the air was as warm as the most sweltering parts of the vernal seasons. He could feel sweat beading under his own shirt and wished that he'd chosen something a little lighter - and a little less casual. It seemed like everyone had dressed up tonight, and in their colours no less. He could see the whole spectrum displayed on the beach, and even some off colours. In the dark and flickering light, though, it was hard to tell who was who. There was such a blur of motion, so much mingling and so many bodies moving together - very close together, in some cases - that identifying any specific people was almost impossible. 

Eridan spotted many couples twisted together, moving to the heavy beating of the drums and felt hot under the collar for more than just the heat of the fires. He cleared his throat and looked back down at his shoes. 

"I might head in early." He said, glancing to Karkat, who raised a brow at him. "What? All I'm doin' is standin' here. Fef's off cavortin' with the riffraff--"

"Jesus christ."

" _ You know what I mean.  _ All I'm sayin' is, there's not much point to me bein' here."

Karkat sighed and rolled his eyes. "You could always, I don't know. Do a little cavorting yourself. Mingle with the crowd instead of holding yourself high and mighty. Hasn't anything Fef or I taught you in the last seven sweeps taught you anything?'

Eridan scoffed and looked away. Karkat pinched the bridge of his nose and kept talking. 

"Look, I get it. It's hard and scary to suddenly have everything you know about yourself and your place in the world be changed. Trust me, I know. But there's really no harm in just....getting out there and getting to know the people you're looking down your nose at. Hell, you got to know me. It got to the point where when I DID tell you my blood colour, you didn't even care. So like...maybe unclench your rich, snobby asshole a little and make new friends, cause I'm tired of being your shining example of what you think all off-spectrum trolls should be. The world's not gonna end because people aren't being killed."

Eridan wanted to argue something fierce but he knew he was just being a stubborn ass. "When did you get so smart." He muttered sullenly. He could see Karkat's smile out of the corner of his eye.

"When you're in my position you have to be smart to survive." He said. "That's my reality."

There was really nothing Eridan could say to argue that. He'd seen Karkat's trials as he grew up hiding his blood and doing everything in his power not to get killed. He had to be smarter, faster, stronger than all the other threshie recruits just so he wouldn't get outed and killed. Eridan knew that. Suddenly he felt like an ass. His shoulders slumped and he ran a hand through his hair. 

"Sorry." He mumbled. Karkat shrugged.

"Don't apologize, man. Just be better."

That was the worst and the best advice Eridan could have ever been given. But it worked, somehow, because after a moment's consideration he walked off, hands in his pockets, towards the drink table. Karkat felt a faint flicker of pride in his chest and his lips twitched into something that could almost be called a smile as Eridan started stiffly chatting with a rather attractive brownblood. 

"Karkat!"

He turned. Feferi was walking towards him, cheeks flushed and eyes glowing. Her feet were bare - where had her shoes gone? He was sure they'd all come here with some form of footwear. Dear god, she was already drunk enough to start stripping. He groaned to himself as she wrapped her arms around him and placed a heavily vodka- and fuchsia lipstick-tinted kiss to his cheek. Suddenly he felt much warmer. 

"Karkat, you're not dancing!" Feferi's voice was a playful pout. Oh yeah. She's wasted. "You're not even participating. Come on, I didn't spend all that time teaching you to dance for you to stand over here and hide your nipples all night. Where's Eridan? He should be dancing with you. I should be dancing with you! We should all be dancing, this is a party! We're supposed to be having fun!"

Karkat realized he still had his arms crossed and his fins dusted a light red. He uncrossed them, which had the unfortunate effect of making him very aware of their placement. They pressed to his sides, unsure where else to go. 

"Eridan's over at the drink table talking with some farmer-looking troll." Karkat said. Jesus, where the hell were his hands supposed to go? He'd put them in his pockets but neither his jacket or pants had them. This was embarrassing. 

"Boo." Feferi stuck out her tongue, leaning against him. Why was she so small and so heavy? Was she made of bricks or something? The coolness of her skin felt nice against his, though, so he wrapped one arm around her. There, one arm placement sorted. She continued, hardly aware of Karkat's internal awkward monologue. "That slut. You're too good for him anyway."

Karkat knew she was only joking. She'd never say anything bad against him, not without offering some sort of constructive criticism afterwards. Still, he snorted. "Right. Eridan the royal slut, too good for a clumsy mutant like me." He said, sarcasm lacing every word. Feferi huffed and punched his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Shut up with that bullshark." She puffed up her cheeks at him. "You're not clumsy and your blood doesn't mean jack compared to who you are - which is a badass, tough, strong threshie."

"A threshie whose job is about to change drastically." He pointed out. Feferi grinned, sticking out her tongue between her teeth. How she wasn't biting it off, he didn't know. 

"Not as much as you might think~" She said cheerfully. "Now come on. Forget about all that work nonsense for once and just have fun."

Her hand laced with his and Karkat stumbled, finding himself suddenly being pulled towards the fires and the party. Smooth, Vantas. Feferi pressed a drink in his hands and he stared down at the dark concoction, suspicious of what was in it. When he saw her staring at him expectantly, however, he shrugged and tipped it back, swallowing it all in one go. Feferi beamed at him happily even as he coughed from the burn. 

Fuck it. Work could wait til tomorrow.

\--

The night went by in a blur of colour and sound. 

Karkat had never been much of a drinker; being a threshie meant he had to keep his wits about him, no matter the case. The drawback of this, of course, was that when he did drink, it didn't take much to get him utterly wasted. It wasn't long before he was just as drunk as Feferi had been, and from there on, he remembered nothing. 

Well...he remembered some things. 

He remembered a mouth on his, soft and pliant and full of needle-like teeth. He remembered the heat of the fire contrasted with the coldness of a seadweller's body pressed against him. Feferi was so small against him, so slender and yet so powerful, he remembered thinking dizzily as she picked him up off the ground as if he weighed nothing. He remembered laughing at this, pulling her in by the hips for a kiss. 

Time passed after that, but he didn't know how much. He remembered walking - no, running, they were running - back to his hive. Why were they running? Hands on chilled skin, made cold by the night air, mouths hot and claiming and desperate. The sound of tearing fabric, of gasps, the low murmur of voices. What had been said? What were they doing - Karkat knew very well what they were doing. But why? The feeling of claws down his back, teeth at his pulse. His heart racing in his chest. He remembered Feferi over him, under him, looking down and up at him with that look in her eyes, the one that made him terrified and wanting, that possessive, hungry look of a beast claiming its prize--

Karkat woke up to a beam of moonlight shining in his face. His head throbbed. 

"Fuck." He hissed, rubbing his eyes and turning over. A soft, cool body laid next to him, from what he could feel, but he didn't dare look to see who it was. He was pretty sure he knew, but there was no way he was opening his eyes until the light was gone. 

The body beside him giggled and his suspicions were confirmed. "Good morning, crabcakes." Feferi murmured. Her voice was quiet, but it still rattled his pan something fierce. He patted around for her mouth, covering it with a disgruntled noise. 

"Shhhh." He whispered hoarsely. She laughed and licked his hand - he jolted away. "Eugh! Gross, Fef."

Feferi giggled and turned over to face him. Her face shone with some strange inner glow as she rolled over, laying herself on his chest. Her fins twitched and fluttered; Karkat leaned up and kissed them softly, giving one a gentle nip. Even that small movement made his world spin and Feferi laughed as he laid himself back down on the couch. His head hit the arm with a dull  _ thunk. _

"How are you still a functioning troll?" He asked. "I had way less than you last night and I'm wishing that temporary death was an option."

"It's called a coma, and I have a better tolerance than you." Feferi kissed at his chest. His whole body was covered in lipstick and hickeys, from what he could glean with a pained glance down. "You've got the liver of a three day old grub."

Karkat grumbled. "Just because I choose not to drown myself in soporifics doesn't mean I'm any less of a troll." He said, nostrils flaring. "Don't poke fun at me for being sober."

"Fine, fine." Feferi trilled, leaning up to kiss his lips once before sitting up on his hips. She was still naked, and beautiful in the dusk glow. The final orange rays of the sun caught the slight pinkish hue under her skin, making her whole body look like a sunset. She was radiant, from the tips of her polished horns to her flawlessly manicured toes. Karkat reached out his hands and felt the need to apologise as his calloused fingers brushed against skin like polished stone. There was so much strength under her dainty form, as clearly shown by the bruises he could already see forming on his wrists and, strangely enough, around his neck. Feferi saw them too and, with a worried croon, took his hands in hers. 

"I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?" She asked. Karkat could have laughed. 

"I've had worse." He said. His cheeks flushed as she kissed along his knuckles and down to his wrists. "Don't worry about it, Fef. I'm fine."

For a moment she looked up at him, analyzing his face as if to suss out whether or not he was telling the truth. After a few seconds of the nonverbal interrogation, though, she relented and leaned back, apparently satisfied. "Alright." She said, hopping off his lap, still bare. Seemed she had a few scratches of her own, rough lines gashed down her freckly back. Karkat couldn't find it in him to feel guilty. "Let me go get you some breakfast and painkillers, then."

"Thanks." Relieved, Karkat turned back over and hid his face from the dusk light. It was still too bright for his hungover eyes yet, and he doubted the moon would do him any favors either. He closed his eyes, hoping to get a bit more sleep. It was quiet in the hive now; only Feferi's quiet humming and the sizzling sounds of breakfast being cooked could be heard. All soothing noises, as far as Karkat's mind was concerned. Things that would easily lull him back to sleep - 

The door opened with a loud, abrasive  _ bang _ . Karkat jolted up and immediately regretted it as his head swam and a wave of nausea hit him. 

"What the fuck?" He managed to gag out, trying to swallow down bile and last night's booze. 

Turning towards the door revealed to him a very haggard-looking Eridan, still wearing his clothes from the night before. There were dark rings under his eyes and his skin was paler than usual; he, too, was suffering from the effects of a hangover it seemed. He all but slumped against the door frame, looking at Karkat with a woozy expression. Karkat would recognize it anywhere. 

"Bathroom," He said sharply, pointing. "Or the kitchen sink, I don't care, just don't throw up on my--"

Eridan didn't need another command. He stumbled to the kitchen just past the porch. From the kitchen came a squeal of indignance and Feferi's loud cry of his name, followed by the nausea-inducing sound of Eridan retching and the splatter of vomit against his sink. Karkat felt woozy himself for a moment and had to lie back down, breathing deeply until it passed. The sound of running water reached his ears and he was glad, at least, that his sudden houseguest had the kindness in him to wash the evidence away.

A few moments later Eridan was walking back out of the kitchen, looking a little worse for wear but not as dead as he'd been when he first came in. He laid himself on Karkat's chest, paying the pained groan his newfound pillow gave no mind. 

"Feferi's makin' us all breakfast." He muttered miserably. "Somethin' greasy apparently. Says that helps."

Karkat nodded. He didn't trust his mouth right now. The last five minutes had been worse for his stomach than a roller-coaster. Luckily for him, Eridan seemed to want to keep talking. 

"So Fef is naked in the kitchen, an' you're naked here," He said, picking at the barely-healed marks on Karkat's shoulder from the night before. "An' you're covered in scratches. I'm assumin' Fef has been doin' more than spendin' the night here the last little while?"

Oh god, he hoped Eridan could make his own assumptions, he really didn't want to speak just yet. The poke in the gills got him, though, and he grunted. "Augh - fuck, okay! Jesus. We got drunk last night and fucked, happy, Your Majesty?"

He really didn't mean to be so snobby, but his head was pounding and his stomach ached and Eridan was straddling his hips in a way that said he was both jealous and looking to even the score and Karkat so wasn't up for doing any score-evening just yet. He pushed Eridan off him unceremoniously and Eridan landed on the other side of the couch, dazed and a little queasy.

"Hey!" He shouted. Karkat's fins pinned back at the noise.

"Not right now, you hot-headed prick. Let me sleep off the hangover first and then you can do whatever you want."

He hadn't meant it  _ like that,  _ but now Eridan was looking at him with a hungry expression that reminded Karkat all too much of a shark. Already he was regretting his words. Eridan climbed off of him and headed out to the kitchen, no doubt to steal away Feferi's attention from breakfast, but at least he wasn't bugging Karkat anymore. Karkat pulled the blankets back over his head and tried to fight off the rising wave of nausea that threatened him yet again. His eyes closed and apparently he was far too tired to last any longer, because the next thing he knew sleep was pulling him rapidly under. 

\--

Eridan's hands were just as calloused as his own. 

Despite the feral look he'd been given just before breakfast, Eridan's lips were gentle on his throat, his teeth scraping Karkat's pulse but never sinking in. Karkat shivered, his breath coming out in hitched little pants and his stomach muscles tensing as he felt Eridan's hands trailing along his scars. 

"Missed you." Eridan murmured, all softness and warmth in his normally chilly voice. 

Karkat looked down at him. Without the glasses in the way he could see the shining violet of his eyes much clearer, the way his pupils had blown wide with lust as they met his own red irises. They captivated Karkat. He stared, unabashedly, worrying his lip between his teeth as Eridan slid a hand between the lips of his nook and sunk two fingers in to the knuckle. Karkat's hips twitched; he groaned, tilted his head back, bound hands clenching above his head. Those two fingers began to thrust and Karkat gasped as they raked right across his sweet spot without really hitting it. 

"Fuck, Eridan -"

"Language." Eridan replied smoothly. His tongue worked against the operculum of Karkat's gills and Karkat hissed, arching up and back all at once. As if he had any hope of escaping. "Try again, Vantas."

" _ Please! _ " 

"That's better."

Karkat was rewarded with the slow, gentle rubbing of Eridan's thumb at the base of his lashing bulge. It knotted against itself in frustration and Karkat could have howled. Instead he bucked his hips, keening like a newly molted troll in heat. Karkat could feel the soft puffs of breath against his gills as Eridan laughed. There was nothing Eridan liked better than to see Karkat under him, writhing and desperate, and they both knew it. 

"Come on, I'm dying here, Eridan!" Karkat all but growled as his bulge tried to worm its way into his own nook and, for the third time, Eridan pulled it gently out. That was the most frustrating thing; Eridan was so annoyingly gentle and tender about every little touch, even when he was torturing Karkat to the brink of mindlessness. 

"Not yet." Eridan murmured. His cool tongue licked a stripe across Karkat's gills. The trill he let out was embarrassingly loud.  His breaths were heaving and hot. Karkat all but slammed his head back against the arm of the couch as Eridan's sharklike teeth bit a light mark into the skin of his hip. 

He wanted to ask if Eridan ever got tired of tormenting him, but he already knew the answer. 

Eridan's lips and tongue were cool against the lips of his nook, fingers still lazily thrusting inside him. All Karkat wanted to do was grab Eridan by his stupidly shiny hair and grind against him, ride out his orgasm against those dumb, pillowy lips - but he couldn't do that. He couldn't do anything except lay there and accept the torture. Every part of him was neatly bound in silk rope, origins unknown. Had Eridan had it when he came in? Where had it been hiding in his hive? Who knew. Something silly and useless like the hiding place of the rope he was tied down with wasn't what was on his mind right now. What was on his mind was how badly his globes ached, how desperate he was to come, and how little Eridan seemed to care about bringing him there. 

"Come  _ on, _ " He hissed, trying to buck his hips up into Eridan's mouth. 

Eridan found the small pleasure nub just under his bulge and sucked,  _ hard.  _ Karkat found himself almost bowed back with pleasure and howling as sudden waves of pleasure overtook him. It was so good, so painful but so good, and so, so close--

And then, nothing. Karkat could have cried - was crying. He felt hot tears slip down his cheeks and he choked back a needy sob, pleas falling out of his mouth unheeded. He didn't even know what he was saying anymore, all he knew was that he was calling out for Eridan, pleading him to let him come, to please,  _ please  _ stop tormenting him. His hands tightened so hard he could feel his claws digging into the palms of his hands as his nook clenched down desperately against Eridan's two slim fingers. It wasn't enough. 

Eridan's face appeared above his, lips reddened and eyes dark with lust. He leaned in, kissing Karkat hard, and pressed in on his sweet spot with quick, rough thrusts. It was enough; Karkat screamed as he came, spilling red all over his torso and riding out the waves against Eridan's fingers as they wrung every last drop of pleasure from him. 

He didn't know how long it lasted, how long until pleasure became exhaustion and pain and he whimpered into the kiss, shifting his hips up away from Eridan's fingers. Satisfied, Eridan wiped them off on the blanket, pulling away to place a gentle peck on his nose. Karkat couldn't say anything, still trying to catch his breath and come down from the high. He could feel Eridan's purr rumbling between the two of them, though, and soon his own purr echoed back. 

"Take a rest." Eridan said, and his voice was much more tender now instead of the cruel gentleness of earlier. He reached up and Karkat felt the silken ropes fall away. When they came into his line of sight they were candy red. "I'll get you some water."

Karkat nodded, feeling lightheaded and oddly blissful. Eridan kissed him again and whispered a soft 'I love you' against his lips. Karkat whispered it back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized after I'd finished writing that 13k was just...too much for one chapter. ^^"  
> Here's chapter two - I hope you like it!

Feferi's palace was a shining jewel of modern architecture. It shone against the moonlight, silvery and sparkling with elegant sloping lines and tall panes of glass. A nightmare to guard, Karkat thought to himself as it was unveiled. The security team would have a field day trying to watch over every single window. Feferi's own balcony was enough danger that, were he her personal guard, he'd be having conniptions. 

Hell, he's already having conniptions. 

Both he and Eridan are nagging her even as they smile for the cameras; Karkat on her left, Eridan to her right, standing on the steps to her home and surrounded by press and microphones. Eridan looks like he's got a pole shoved up his ass and Karkat is sure that he doesn't look much better. But there's nothing they can do; Feferi chose the design and no one on Alternia or the rest of the Empire could ever get her to change her mind once the order is given. Karkat isn't sure whether that's a blessing or a curse in a new ruler. He's almost certain that it's foreboding, at the very least.

The interviews, thankfully, are short and Karkat doesn't have to say much. Feferi does almost all of the talking, answering questions about new policies and changes to old laws with a breezy air that Karkat only wished he had the social graces for. If he had to be in front of the mic he'd be spitting curses at anyone who even thought to look at him sideways or ask him a judgy question, he knew that much for sure. 

And yet, here Feferi was, smiling and waving and even joking with the reporters like this is an everyday occurrence. Honestly, he marvels  at her. His hands clench at his sides as the reporters ask inane questions and he doesn't have to look over at Eridan to know he's just as tense. 

There's a momentary flash of something a little rougher, a little angrier on Feferi's face. Karkat isn't even sure if he actually saw it, because the next moment, she was smiling sweetly again and waving away concerns.

Finally, it's over. Karkat doesn't even make it inside the door of their shared new hive (he has to refrain from calling it a palace, Feferi glares at him everytime he does) before the armor he'd worn is off. It's heavy and cumbersome and not at all what he would wear on his daily routine as a threshie but Eridan had needled him until he'd finally put it on. For appearances, he'd said. Karkat didn't have to see the look in Eridan's eyes to know the truth; he was worried for Karkat's safety. The armor was a preventative measure against any would-be assassins. 

Why, then, had Feferi not had to wear anything? He asked himself, glancing over at her in her teal and blue skirt, the black swimsuit bearing the thin lines of her sign painted across the body. It was reminiscent of what she would wear when she was younger, Karkat remembered, but now her sign overtook her body like it'd grown along with her. 

He supposed that wasn't an inaccurate simile, all things considered. 

"Christ," He groaned, running a hand through his sweaty hair the moment the fuchsia-banded circlet was off. He tossed it onto the couch, falling down into the cushions right beside it. "It's hotter than hell out there. How are you two still standing? I'm surprised you didn't bake."

"I was wearing a lot less clothing than you." Feferi seemed tired now that she wasn't in the public eye. There was a look on her face that Karkat couldn't quite discern, but it definitely wasn't something good or likable like her normal self. She massaged her temples in a way that worried Karkat slightly. Eridan seemed to notice too, because he immediately shuffled off towards the new medical wing instead of saying anything to them. He heard the telltale clank of armor pieces falling to the hardwood floors, slowly becoming more and more distant. 

The cushions were far too soft for Karkat's comfort. He squirmed in the chair, wrestling with his armor and the hole in which he'd suddenly found his backside to be residing. Feferi sat beside him. Her delicate hands fiddled with the straps of his armor, helping to free him from the heavy steel plate. 

"You shouldn't be wearing this much," She chided him gently. Karkat snorted. 

"Tell that to Eridan. He's the one that made me wear it."

"Well, I'll be sure to have a chat with him about it later." The last piece of armor fell away and Karkat sighed in relief as the extra weight stopped dragging him down. He leaned against the coolness of Feferi's shoulder and sighed, feeling a chill go down his spine. The best thing about having two seadweller mates, he thought to himself. Feferi's hand tangled in his sweat-dampened hair and he made to pull away, but she held him fast. He didn't bother to complain for once. 

Karkat had almost fallen asleep when he heard Eridan returning. He sat down at Feferi's other side and Karkat heard soft mumbles and the rattle of painkillers in a bottle. 

"No, it's fine," Feferi murmured. "Shush, put those down. Karkat's asleep."

A small huff. "He should be in bed if he's that tired." Eridan said, concern hidden behind a stout whine. "He's workin' himself to the bone lately. Imbecile. An' you're no better, come on. Take the accursed pills before you get cranky."

Too late for that. "He's just worried." Feferi chided him with an irate tone. "You know how he gets. You get the same way."

The couch shifted slightly. Karkat was far too out of it at this point to protest when he felt cool arms wrap around his body, carrying him like a matrimonial matesprit. All he could do was curl up in the strong, muscular arms that carried him. Eridan, his dimming mind told him - it was Eridan. Feferi didn't have this much musculature. 

"He's so cute when he's sleeping," Feferi seemed to be walking beside them.

"You say that like he ain't always cute." Eridan's voice vibrated from his chest. It was soothing to Karkat, who instinctively pressed closer to the feeling.

"True."

The bed was warm as Eridan laid him down on the soft cotton sheets. Karkat noted dully as he began to drift off that no one had carried him like this since he was a wriggler and his lusus had been taking care of him. Then he felt the blankets settle in around him and a soft kiss to his forehead and the whole world slipped away.

\--

Feferi's first council meeting went as well as could be expected - that is to say, not well at all. Karkat could see Eridan wincing slightly every time they heard the poor stressed woman raise her voice at the cluster of trolls gathered around the table, his fins pinning back as if he were the one being yelled at, not them. Neither one of them had ever seen Feferi so angry and quite frankly it was one of the most frightening things they'd ever seen. Considering their respective lines of work, that was a feat.

"I don't CARE!" Feferi's voice was beginning to go hoarse and if they weren't in the middle of a government meeting, Karkat would have tried to soothe her. "I don't care what public opinion is. Public opinion has been having senseless murder of perfectly legal citizens happen for the last ten thousand sweeps. I--"

"Empress, we can't just suddenly upturn ten thousand sweeps of tradition--" One blueblooded troll began weakly, but Feferi cut him off coldly. Even Karkat cringed as the air in the room seemed to grow thin.

" _ Ten thousand sweeps be damned." _ Feferi's voice was a low hiss. "I won't uphold it anymore. Now either you pass these new bills within the next sweep or you find out what it's like to be on the wrong end of the culling fork."

Silence rang over the table and the blueblood looked nauseous. For a moment Karkat felt a vindictive sort of pride; bastard probably had never had someone threaten him with culling before, seeing as he was a council troll and high on the 'spectrum. Eridan nudged him and he realized that he'd had a smug look on his face, glaring at the blueblood. He looked down.

Finally, one of the violets cleared her throat and stood up. "If...there'll be any other complaints?" She said quietly. 

No one argued. 

"...Right." She swallowed and shuffled her papers so as not to make eye contact with the fuming Empress. "Then we'll begin the process right away. Thank you for seeing us, your Majesty. Council is adjourned, all glory to the Empire."

There were sullen mutters of 'all glory to the Empire' as the trolls stood, bowing to Feferi and making their way out. From where Karkat stood just slightly behind her and to the left he could see the way her jaw clenched and the aggressive flare to her fins. Not even Eridan wanted to say anything, and he was normally the first to argue with her. Instead, he was avoiding her eyes as he began to turn away and head for the door.

"Don't you fucking move."

Icy chills went down both Eridan's and Karkat's back. The low growl hadn't left Feferi's voice as she turned fuchsia  eyes on Eridan. He froze in his spot, one foot in front of the other about to take a step, and looked back at her with an expression that was pure fear. If Karkat hadn't just been about to piss himself as well, he would have laughed at Eridan's plight. Right now, though, all he felt for the poor Orphaner was pity of the palest kind.

Eridan swallowed, his fins lowered. Karkat was sure from where he stood that he could see them trembling. "Yes?" He asked. 

"You couldn't have stood up for me?" Feferi's eyes narrowed. Eridan floundered for several moments, but Feferi waved a hand, still scowling. "Nevermind. Come on. You can make it up to me later."

Eridan and Karkat shared a look -  _ what is going on?  _  - but before they could ask any questions and see if Feferi was alright, she was marching out of the boardroom. Karkat took a deep breath, letting it all out in a rush. He could feel the tension seeping into his shoulders and glanced over at Eridan, who had a look on his face as if he were about to faint. 

"I feel like I just dodged a bullet of the highest caliber," Eridan whispered weakly. Karkat nodded.

"I feel like you did too."

\--

The bullet was, in fact, not dodged at all.

Feferi's claws were rough on Eridan's chest that night. There was a sort of desperation in the way she writhed over him, rocking her hips against his and slamming herself into his nook over and over as if she wanted to punish him. He supposed that was true, in some sense of the word. He hissed as she buried herself deep into him, shuddering and spilling cold fuchsia into his nook as if he were the pail. For some reason it felt dirtier than usual.

"Fef," He murmured as she pulled out of him, panting. His bulge still waved in the air between them. "Fef, can I--"

"No." 

Her voice was short and curt and he knew this wasn't the time to beg. He swallowed and nodded; if he wanted to come he'd have to crawl to Karkat. He wasn't really willing to have Karkat lord that over him, so he sighed and got up, grabbing his pyjamas and tugging them on. Looking down at Feferi gave him a view of her resting on the coupling platform, back turned to him, breathing evenly. She was already asleep. With a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair and headed towards the ablutions block down the hall.

"Well, that was fun." Eridan mumbled to himself, feeling the sticky coolness of her material between his thighs. A sigh escaped him as he ran a hand through his hair, stripping down again and pouring water into the bath. A liberal addition of clean salt joined it; he could use a little therapy on the gills, no matter how much it would sting in his cuts.  

He'd seen it since she'd been crowned, both he and Karkat had. Barely even a perigee and already the strain was getting to her. It'd been like this ever since public outcries against her from the highbloods had begun to make their way into the headlines. Add to that the small, useless lowblood rebellions that had risen up inspired by the new 'lenient' Heiress taking the throne and it was a perfect recipe for a cold, reclusive Empress guilt-ridden by the sudden upswing in violence - something she'd never wanted to happen. 

Eridan could see she was stressed. Karkat could see she was stressed. Only Feferi seemed to be in denial. 

He sunk into the bath with a pained hiss. Well, there went his arousal problem. His bulge slithered back into its sheath at the sudden jolt of fire as the salt in the water stung his cuts. It took several aching moments but eventually he was able to relax, laying his head against the bath pillow just as the door clicked open. Karkat stepped in.

".....Sorry," Karkat mumbled upon spotting the other already in the bath. "I didn't think - hey, what happened?"

"Feferi happened." Karkat didn't even need to explain his question. He knew he looked like a wild animal had gotten at him. Even with his tough seadweller skin the amount of damage she could do was frankly ridiculous. 

Karkat gave a sympathetic hiss and knelt down by the tub. "That bad of a mood tonight, huh?" He asked, taking a cloth and lathering it up. Normally Eridan would protest but tonight it was a welcome relief to smell soft lavender and feel Karkat gently run the cloth over his body. His eyes closed and he gave a quiet chirp. 

"Yeah," He mumbled. "Didn't even let me come."

"I think that's the least of your problems, no offense." Karkat raised an eyebrow, looking at him. Shame flushed Eridan's cheeks and he looked away. 

"Yeah, well." Eridan's fins pin back. He pulls his legs up to his chest, sitting in the tub and playing with the water. There's no way he'll be able to meet Karkat's eyes after admitting that much. It's too embarrassing, letting one mate know that you basically let the other use you as a punching bag/fleshlight combo. Eridan winces at the mental image those words spark in his brain. 

From beside Eridan Karkat sighed, leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to the seadweller's forehead. Eridan flinched, fins pinning back, and he had to resist growling at the other and showing his teeth. "I don't want your pity," He grumbled, irate. 

"Yeah, well, you're getting it." Another gentle kiss to his cheek this time, and a little bite against his fin. Eridan squeaked, glaring and covering his fin, looking up at Karkat now and showing annoyance. It immediately fell away, though, when he saw the tired, worried expression on Karkat's face. His brow furrowed, bright red eyes dulled. Slowly Eridan brought his hand down from his fin and wrapped it back around himself, before thinking better of it and pulling Karkat into a tight hug that nearly dragged him into the tub. 

"Whoa - hey, I'm still dressed!"

"Sucks." Eridan murmured, burying his face into Karkat's chest. Karkat frowned, but gently wrapped his arms around Eridan as well. Clothes be damned at the moment, he knew Eridan well enough to know that he never showed weakness unless he was at a low point. 

"We gotta go something about her." He said quietly. Eridan nodded. 

"Good fuckin' luck. We're just as liable to get our fuckin' bulges torn off at this point than to make any headway." 

Karkat pursed his lips but he knew that Eridan was right. There was too much going on right now for Feferi to listen to either of them. He hated it, but he knew that if he were in Feferi's position he'd be the same way. It was an ugly thought that he didn't dare voice, but one look at Eridan told him that he was thinking the same thing. Karkat's pusher clenched in pity for both of them. God-fucking-dammit.

Instead of saying anything he shifted to pull Eridan into his lap. It wasn't hard; Karkat had lifted much heavier things than one currently low Orphaner. Said troll gave a surprised chirp but didn't fight him, only looking at him with a confused expression. That confusion melted to flushed embarrassment as Karkat's fingers carefully slipped inside his still-wet nook. Eridan grabbed Karkat's wrist and pulled it away, feeling his nook clench desperately down on nothing for a minute before he got a hold of himself to speak.

"Why--"

Karkat didn't let him finish. He kissed Eridan so softly and tenderly that Eridan couldn't help but melt. He shuddered and pressed against Karkat involuntarily. 

"Let me," Karkat whispered into the kiss, tongue flicking gently against his lip as if asking for more. Eridan couldn't resist. He nodded, and those fingers sunk back into his nook as slow and careful as he could manage. Eridan gasped, swallowed, resting his head against Karkat's shoulder. 

He felt pathetic. Certainly he knew Karkat must think he was pathetic. Straddling Karkat's thighs, legs spread like a common whore, shivering and mewling like a lowblood in heat instead of the noble that he was. Self-loathing roiled in his gut and he took a shaky breath. Karkat's low, gravelly voice murmured soft praises and whispers of pity and adoration into his ear, the hot breath brushing past his fin and making it twitch. He didn't know why Karkat loved him so, but right now wasn't the time to question it. Right now was the time to embrace it and drown in it - drown in him. 

This was just as much pale as it was flushed, he realized, even as a third finger sunk into his nook, pressing up against a spot that made him stiffen and see stars. His hips bucked and he gave a hoarse cry that Karkat responded to in kind with a low chirr. 

"That's it," He whispered softly, tongue running along Eridan's pulse and the operculum of his gills. Eridan shuddered, clutched him desperately tight. "Just relax, Eri. Let it come. There's my good love."

A whimper left Eridan's lips unbidden and he gasped, feeling his nook tighten and spasm the closer he got. Just a little more, he breathed, writhing on Karkat's lap now, so close it made him dizzy. His bulge hadn't even unsheathed and here he was riding Karkat's fingers and moaning like a whore. He didn't care. He was almost blind with pity and lust in equal amounts, body and mind confused by the strange mix of pale and flushed, hot and tender, desperate and needing--

He came with a weak sob. His thighs trembled and he realized he was no longer sitting on Karkat's lap, but kneeling over it. A slow ache spread from his knees up to his hips and his nook felt sore and used. He pushed away Karkat's fingers with a low gasp of pain as they slipped out, curling himself up on Karkat's lap. One of Karkat's hands ran through his hair, the other wrapping around his waist to steady him and Eridan gave a soft, shaky sigh of relief. 

"Thanks," He mumbled, managing to sound only a little sullen. Karkat shifted, pressing a pale kiss to his forehead. 

"You looked like you needed it." 

Eridan laughed, low and bitter.

\--

The rustblood's body swung from the bottom of Feferi's balcony, directly over her front door. TRAITOR, screamed the words carved into her chest. 

Her innards lay in a burnt pile below her body. She might have once been beautiful, Karkat guessed, but between the feral beating she'd received just before death and the blade someone had taken to her face and body, there was no more beauty to be seen here. Only a bloodthirsty massacre made by revenge-hungry mobs. Highbloods, had to be, angered by their new Empress' sympathy towards the lower castes. Karkat wanted to vomit as he pulled his knife from his belt and cut her down. She slumped, hot and wet and reeking of rot, into his arms. 

Make that  _ did  _ vomit.

"Karkat, what's all the noise--"

Feferi's voice was choked off as she spotted the body on the porch, the obvious message carved into flesh. Her guard, her mate, bent double over the railing and heaving his guts up into the beautiful petunias that she herself had painstakingly planted. Her face went pale and she covered her own mouth, swallowing down bile. 

"Oh my god," Came her shaky whisper. "Oh my god, Karkat, what is this - who--"

"I don't know," Karkat's voice was hoarse and he took a wheezing sort of breath as he slumped over the railing. He wiped his mouth, not wanting to look over at the body or Feferi. All the threshie training he'd gone through and more couldn't have prepared him for stepping out onto the porch and seeing this mere inches from his face. "I mean - I know, I just - I - I don't know who she is." 

Feferi looked down into the rustbloods face, or at least, what remained of it. Her curly hair stuck to her head and crusted with dried blood, her eyes missing, nose flayed off. Nausea roiled in her gut. This was too much. Everything was too much. Feferi clutched her stomach and turned away, trying to burn away the mental image that now clung to the back of her eyelids. It didn't work; those blank, sightless sockets stared at her with an accusatory glare everytime she blinked. 

Karkat's arms wrapped around her, pulling her back inside the hive, and she didn't resist. She felt like she was tethered somewhere six inches behind her body, following only because she was connected by a thin, weak thread. Nothing registered save for the frantic burning in her lungs as she choked on air that she couldn't get. Karkat's hand rubbed at her back and there was a moment where she had to fight a visceral, panicked urge to claw and rend her way out of his arms and away from the scene. 

"Come on," She heard Karkat say, trying to be soothing. "Get inside. I'll take care of this."

"Find out who she was. Find out - she has to have a  _ name _ , or a sign, or - or something, she has friends, they need to know--" Feferi heard, but not felt, herself speak between gasps. It sounded as if the voice was coming from somewhere other than her mouth. It felt like she was drowning. She couldn’t see. Why couldn’t she see? Everything was blurred. Her cheeks felt cold and wet. She couldn’t breathe. "Please."

She didn't hear his response. Someone was rushing towards them; Feferi flinched at the sudden speed. Words were exchanged but Feferi couldn't hear them over her own hyperventilating. Cold hands touched her shoulders and she shrieked, lashing out. There was a cry of pain as her claws connected with flesh.

"Feferi!" Finally, a noise. Karkat. "Feferi, calm down. Hey - fuck - Feferi, it's me! Let me go!"

She did and heard a pained groan. Those cold hands took her and Eridan's low, soothing voice rumbled from somewhere beside her. Saying something to Karkat maybe? No - no, to her. She tried her best to listen but everything sounded like it was coming from miles underwater. 

"Come on," It said. "Come on, Fef. It's okay. You're okay. Everything's alright." They were walking. Where were they walking? 

_ No _ , she thought.  _ You're wrong. This is wrong. Can't you see how wrong this is?  _

\--

Eridan watched from afar as Feferi screamed herself hoarse at a poor, trembling guard. It hurt to watch, especially when she hit him so hard across the face that he went flying. Eridan winced; he had no idea what the guard had done, but he sincerely doubted he deserved a good hard smack with all of a fuchsia's strength. He'd heard the crack of bone as hand connected with jaw. The guard scrambled to his feet, clutching his rapidly bruising face, and ran off. 

Eridan took a breath. This was too much, now. He knocked on Feferi's office door.

\--

Feferi was three caffeine shots deep and still barely awake when Karkat entered her office. 

It was a pretty space, well lit and open, plenty of windows and beautiful photos of every one of her friends on the walls. Books lined every oak shelf. Karkat didn't have time to marvel at the warmth and decor of the place, however, even as his boots clicked pleasantly across cherrywood floors. He raised a hand as the guards stationed at the windows moved forward, confused and unsure as to whether they should stop the Red Threshecutioner himself.

"Stand down and get the fuck out." His order was sharp and curt. He knew he outranked them all and he wasn't afraid to use that fact. Almost unwillingly they obeyed, shuffling towards the door. Karkat waited until the last one had filed out and the door had shut behind her to sit down in front of Feferi's desk. He clasped his hands, silent, watching her survey him. For several moments, it was a staring contest to see which one of them would break first. 

Finally, Feferi's jittery patience broke. She sighed. "What do you want?" She asked, and Karkat had to brush off the coldness in her voice.

"We need to talk about how you've been acting lately." Out with it, Vantas. Get straight to the point. "You've kind of been a colossal gaping asshole since you took the throne. I get you're stressed and all, but--"

"Stop."

To his credit, he managed to actually stop. Feferi looked tired under the crackling light of the fireplace, casting gaunt and ghoulish shadows over her face and highlighting the bags under her eyes. Evidently there hadn't been enough time for makeup before she got to work this evening. Instantly Karkat felt bad for coming in here so early and dumping this shit on her. Some part of his mind reminded him, though, that it had to be done. 

In front of him Feferi sighed, rubbing her face and leaning it against her hands. 

"I know." She said quietly. "I know. I feel like a colossal gaping asshole. Eridan came in here earlier today and  said the same thing and I - I  _ hit _ him. I've never done that before." 

"Maybe you could not do that with me, thanks," Karkat murmured, trying to inject humor into the situation. It sort of worked; Feferi gave a weak sort of snort, brushing her tangled hair back. 

"I'll try not to." She said quietly. "I owe him an apology. I owe you both an apology, really." A moment of silence. "...I owe the guard I backhanded an apology too."

"Jesus christ." Karkat blew out a heavy breath of air. "If you keep going the way you're going you're gonna end up owing half the palace an apology."

There was a guilty look on Feferi's face, close to tears, and she didn't have to say anything for Karkat to immediately know what was on her mind. Following in her ancestor's footsteps was a very real fear for her, and in her mind, she could see it coming true already. Immediately his pusher throbbed painfully with the knowledge that Feferi was well and truly scared that she was falling down the same path as the Condesce. He stood, walking around the desk and Feferi didn't even hesitate as she threw herself into his arms. Her grip on him was tight, matched only by his grip on her. He stroked a hand through her hair and was suddenly reminded of the first day of her rule all over again. The memory only intensified as she spoke.

"I didn't want this," Feferi whispered. "Any of this. I don't want it. It's too much."

Karkat felt hopeless. He swallowed, kissing the top of her head gently. "I know." 

"I don't want to end up like her."

"I know." There was nothing else he could say. Nothing he could do. For all his strength and power, he felt useless. Karkat clutched her tighter and just tried to soothe her as best as she could. 

Feferi wept in his arms.

\--

"I'm sorry."

Eridan felt the weight on the bed and turned, barely awake, to find Feferi leaning over him. Her eyes were pink and puffy like she'd been crying. Despite their earlier fight pity lanced through his heart and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her down into bed with him. Instant forgiveness. 

"Hush, you." He murmured. "I know you're goin' through a lot right now. We all are. It's hard suddenly bein' pushed into everythin'."

A weak little hiccup sounded from somewhere around his collarbone where Feferi had hid her face. There were no tears left to be shed for her, all cried out earlier. Vaguely he wondered if it'd been Karkat to see her cry so badly she had nothing left now. It didn't matter, not really. Not at that moment. All that mattered was that she knew she was safe here. 

"Do you think there's a therapist that tends to stressed out Empresses?" Feferi said. Her voice was watery and shaking, but there was a hint of a smile in it that made him relax. Eridan laughed quietly. 

"Yeah, Fef. Hell, if there isn't, I'll find one for you anyway."

This seemed to soothe her. She pulled him closer. No claws this time, no roughness, only a sort of need that made Eridan's whole body ache with pity. He held her tightly to him and kissed her all over, from horntip to the bottom of her jaw. She squirmed, sniffling, but didn't pull away or make any move to stop him. His lips met hers in a slow, tender kiss and she melted against him with a shaky sort of sob. 

"I don't deserve this." She whispered as they broke apart. Eridan silenced her with another kiss and she didn't argue. “I don’t deserve you, or Karkat-”

"I said hush."

Feferi sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head against his shoulder and tangling her legs with his. Several moments of silence passed. Feferi's breathing evened out.The bed dipped again and a mostly nude Karkat joined them. Eridan looked up, meeting his eyes; Karkat leaned in for a slow and gentle kiss that he returned immediately. There were no words spoken, just a silent understanding that passed between the two of them. Karkat settled down on the other side of her body and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her head before wrapping his arms around both seadwellers. 

"Long night?" Karkat whispered. Eridan nodded. 

"Very long."

The sheets shifted and Karkat tucked the blanket around Eridan and Feferi. He didn't know when they'd started to share Feferi's bed, it just sort of...happened. Eridan certainly wasn't about to complain. Especially not now. 

"Tomorrow's gonna be better." Karkat promised with a yawn. “For all of us.”

Eridan said nothing. He closed his eyes and rested his head on top of Feferi's, feeling her soft breath against his chest. 

Tomorrow's gonna be better.

He hoped Karkat was right. 


End file.
